Analysis

An analysis of the short story “Appointment” by Olivia Parkes shows that the text has a chronological structure. The story focuses on the narrator’s life and on the issues that have led to her current state, where she is unemployed and lives alone in a cold apartment.

The main character is the narrator, an unemployed middle-aged woman who is going through a rough patch in life. Her haircut appointment makes her reconsider her choices and ends up encouraging her to change her life.

The setting is the hair salon where the narrator comes for a haircut and where Moira works as a hairstylist. The hair salon makes the narrator think about her cold apartment, and is the place where she takes the first step toward a new life.

The events are told by a first-person narrator, who is also the main character. Therefore, the readers have access to her point of view and discover details about her life. However, certain clues suggest that the narrator is unreliable.

The language used in the short story is informal and helps readers understand the narrator’s perspective and background. The text is rich in similes and metaphors which help the narrator illustrate her struggle to overcome her unfortunate situation.

You can read a full analysis of the short story on the following pages.

Engelsk

Short story analysis

I denne vejledning får du Studienets hjælp til at analysere noveller (short stories) i engelsk.

Excerpt

Below, you can read an excerpt from our study guide:

Symbols

In some Christian traditions, the angel Azrael is a symbol of death and is responsible for guiding the souls of the deceased. Therefore, the metaphorical description of Moira hints at the narrator’s fear of death and of being controlled by others. At the same time, the comparison between Moira and Azrael could also symbolize the change the narrator is making with this haircut, pointing to her ...